’Toppers pained by dubious finish in Gilford

GILFORD — Leading host Gilford by five points with with less than 30 seconds remaining, the Somersworth boys’ basketball team appeared to have a victory all but secured Thursday night.

In the final 30 seconds, however, two crucial sequences allowed the Golden Eagles to force overtime and pull out a 52-47 victory.

With 29.5 seconds on the clock, a pass by Gilford sophomore guard Josh Joyce went out of bounds with the ball initially awarded to the Hilltoppers. The officials reversed the call and ruled the ball had been deflected by a defender, allowing Gilford to keep possession. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Joyce (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two.

On the next trip up the court, Somersworth senior Josh Ream was fouled and sent to the line for one-and-one free throws. Ream missed his first attempt, then committed a foul going for the rebound. Arguing the call with the official, Ream was assessed a technical foul — his fifth foul of the game. Gilford senior guard Sam Prescott made one of his two free throws on the initial foul call, while Joyce sunk one of the technicals to knot the score at 41 with 22.5 to go.

Somersworth head coach Lorne Lucas expressed disappointment at the play.

“Josh Ream had the ball, got what looked like to me was fouled, and they called a foul on him,” Lucas said. “He said ‘crap’ and they hit him with a technical. They got four shots and hit two.”

Though the Golden Eagles could not get a shot off to end regulation, the sudden momentum swing was enough to carry through overtime, where host Gilford prevailed.

“We were in a difficult spot there at the end,” said Gilford head coach Chip Veazey. “That was certainly not a good time for them to take a technical, but the official had to call it.”

For Somersworth, the loss overshadowed the offensive performance of senior guard Drew Francoeur, who led all players with 32 points and 5 rebounds, including his club’s final 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The visitors jumped to an 8-0 lead to begin the game, sinking four of their first five shots and forcing three Gilford turnovers. The Golden Eagles did not get on the board until Joyce stroked a three-pointer 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the contest. The Hilltoppers (10-4) held a 12-5 edge at the conclusion of the first.

“I thought they came out with a lot of intensity in the first five minutes and we had to match it,” Veazey said. “That’s what it comes down to in high school basketball.”

Gilford opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run of its own, including five quick points from sophomore forward Kyle Gaudet. The hosts mimicked the pressure defense the ’Toppers displayed in the first, holding Somersworth scoreless for the first 4:05 of the quarter.

Joyce and Francoeur began heating up late in the quarter, at one point matching each other’s made baskets on five consecutive trips up the floor. An Orton layup gave Gilford an 18-17 lead at halftime.

“We came out a played a great first quarter, something we hadn’t done all year,” Lucas said. “We lost it in the second quarter. We let them back in it. We had an opportunity to open it up and we let them back into the game.”

While Joyce began dishing out assists in the third quarter, Francoeur continued to scorch the nets, helping his team recover from a 26-20 deficit by scoring eight straight points, including two three-point plays. A turnaround jumper by Francoeur at the buzzer sent the teams to the final stanza tied at 32.

After back-to-back buckets from both squads, Gilford’s offense went cold. The Golden Eagles were scoreless for 4:55 while the Hilltoppers regained the lead. A Sykie jumper with 2:05 to play ended the drought and made it 39-36 in favor of the visitors. A layup from Francoeur gave Somersworth a five point lead and what seemed to be control until the two pivotal moments in the final 30 seconds.

In the extra session, Sykie nailed a jumper from the corner and junior forward Rich Edson scored his only two points on a layup to help Gilford take a 45-42 lead. Francoeur and Gilford sophomore guard Max Troiano traded free throws before another bucket from Sykie with 1:00 to play in overtime. The Hilltoppers ultimately went the final 2:05 without a field goal, allowing Gilford to put the game away at the line.

“It wasn’t a playoff game, but it certainly had a playoff atmosphere to it,” Veazey said. “I like that. I don’t get nervous by that, and I don’t think the kids do either.”

Somersworth is at Raymond on Tuesday while Gilford travels to Laconia. The teams will meet again on Feb. 22 in Somersworth for the regular-season finale.